


One Last Wish

by NegligentTaco



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-28 22:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6348598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NegligentTaco/pseuds/NegligentTaco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ishwari is sick and wants two things: closure with her old flame and to arrange funeral plans for her son to take her back to her home country once she passes. But her former lover, Pagan, has other plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Phone Call

It had been a stressful day for King Pagan Min. He was busy on the phone all day with different contacts discussing his plan for upgrading the palace. He was thinking about building a water park. A bit much, maybe, but he'd been wanting one for years. He was just about to make another call when his phone began to ring. 

Ishwari's hands were shaking and sweaty. She was able to get up with an old contact back in Kyrat who had worked for Pagan and they were more than happy to get Pagan's information for her. She needed to speak to Pagan; it was important. She was dying and she wanted to say goodbye. She also had planned to arrange Ajay a visit after she passed so that her ashes could be joined with Lakshmana’s— the sister that Ajay doesn’t remember.  
She hoped Pagan wouldn’t mind her calling. After all these years, she had no idea what kind of feelings he had been harboring. He probably hated her but she was willing to take the chance. She often wondered why he had never came after her. But then again, he probably wondered why she left without telling him. 

"Hello," answered a deep, familiar voice on the other end. It sounded different— aged. But still the same voice. 

"... Pagan," Ishwari said hesitantly, barely able to breathe after she heard the sound of his voice. Her heart was racing. There was a long pause until he finally broke the silence.

"... I- Ishwari?" He recognized her voice immediately, but he couldn’t believe his ears. He must be delusional. 

"Yes, Pagan. It's me..." For a moment she forgot that she was the one that called.  
She began to speak. "I have bad news,” she stuttered. “I'm sick. I have cancer and I don't have much longer. I just wanted to hear your voice." That wasn't completely a lie, she really did want to hear his voice, but she also didn't want to start the conversation off with asking him for a favor.  
Pagan's heart felt as though it dropped inside his chest. He began to feel lightheaded as a lump developed in his throat. He could barely form a sentence and his hands were shaking so bad that he almost dropped his phone.  
"There's nothing that the doctors can do?" Pagan asked as he sighed.

"No," she said, hesitant to say what she was about to say next. "Well, they said if they begin treatments soon so that they can do the surgery, I have a chance of living, but I just can't afford that. I don't want to do all of that and, if it didn’t work, then leave Ajay with such a burden of debt— more than he would already have. I'm ready, Pagan. I just wanted to discuss my last wishes with you." She didn’t want Pagan think she was calling after all these years to ask for money because she wasn't. 

It was a good thing that Pagan was already sitting because he could feel his knees go weak. He just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She's so young. He was in denial. 

"You can fight this, Ishwari. You're a fighter! You've always been a fighter!” Pagan said, distressed. “I'm coming to America. I'll pay for all of your medicine, treatments, surgeries, whatever you need. You don't have to worry about any of that. Just... please, don't give up that easily. Please? For me. For Ajay. Please." 

He was begging at that point but he didn’t care. She was much too young to give up so early. He didn’t care if he spends millions of dollars on her and none of it works, he still wants to be able to say that they tried. He wants to be there with her— he needs to be there with her. 

"Pagan, I'm not calling and asking for a handout from you. I don't want your charity. I'm just calling because I want to arrange Ajay a visit to Kyrat after I pass so that my ashes can be taken to join Lakshmana's.”

"Ishwari, if worse comes to worst, I am completely fine with arranging a visit for Ajay to bring you back here. But for now, can we think positively, okay? It's already settled that I'm coming to America and that's that. But I just ask that you please, please, think about my offer. I'll be on a plane first thing in the morning." He felt like what he just said sounded like he was making a business proposal, but his head was still spinning and he was not the normal wordsmith as usual at that moment. 

Pagan had always been such a spontaneous man. He's the type to quickly take control of things and make it his own problem. This isn't his fight to fight, but Ishwari knew that no matter what she could say, she was not convincing him otherwise.

Ishwari told Pagan where she was living: a lower-middle class suburban-style neighborhood in Seattle. Pagan wrote the address down and called for Gary to pack his bags.

They talked for another hour and a half after discussing Pagan’s intentions of coming to America and helping Ishwari through her treatments.

“It feels so good to hear your voice,” Pagan said. “I can’t believe you called.”

“I can’t believe I called, either, to be honest with you,” she said in a soft laugh.

He had missed that laugh. He had never thought he would ever hear it again. He had hoped—he kept her note she left him all those years ago hanging on a wall in the palace, looking at it daily wondering whether he would ever see her again— but he had his many doubts. 

They continued to talk for a while, getting caught up on all of the years they’d missed. Pagan finally asks: “How is Ajay?”

He hears a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Better. He had been in a lot of trouble the past few years. Drugs, crime, and so forth. He’s put me through hell. It’s a struggle working two jobs and also having to deal with him,” she said in a nearly-sounding miserable laugh at the end. 

Pagan smiled sympathetically. “I’m sorry to hear. But I am glad that he is improving. You know, I was the same when I was his age and look how I turned out,” he said enthusiastically. 

“Umm,” Ishwari said, followed by a laugh. 

“Oh, come on! I’m not that bad,” Pagan remarked with a grin on his face, leaning back in his leather office chair. 

“No comment,” Ishwari giggled.  
There was a pause following their laughter before the silence was broken. 

“I’ve missed you so much, Ishwari. I was devastated when you left.” Pagan frowned as he spoke.

“I’m sorry, Pagan. But I was thinking of Ajay. I wanted a better life for him.”

“A better life… Without me in it,” Pagan gulped. 

“No, I don’t mean it like tha-”

“Then what do you mean, Ishwari, because you didn’t even bother telling me. You up and leave in the middle of the night leaving only a note! I blamed myself for years-”

“And I’m sorry about that Pagan. But again, I was thinking of our son. Mohan was going to kill us. He wanted Ajay and I just couldn’t leave him with him. So I left.”

Pagan stayed silent.

“And yes, I did stop to see Mohan before I left,” Ishwari continued. 

“And you killed him,” Pagan said matter-of-factly.

“Yes I did. I stopped by partially because I did feel that he had the right to know that I was leaving the country with his biological son. But also because I wanted to look into the face of the monster who killed my daughter. He was no longer my husband. He was just a murderer,” she hissed. “I had contemplated killing him on my way there, but I tried to push the thoughts away. But after the way he reacted when I told him I was leaving with Ajay, I just knew it was either him or me. He came after me and I grabbed the knife I had always kept in the kitchen. It was in the exact same place I always kept it. Mohan never cooked so it didn’t surprise me that it hadn’t been touched in years. When he came bolting towards me, I grabbed the knife and jabbed it into his chest.”

“That’s my girl,” Pagan exclaimed.

“This is serious, Pagan! I’m opening up to you, here!”  
Pagan chuckled. “I know, Ishwari. Forgive me. You know how I feel about him. I would have killed him in a heartbeat.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. There are fewer people on your list of who you wouldn’t kill than who you would.”

“Yes, that is true. Oh, Ishwari, you always were the level-headed one out of the two of us.”

“Well, someone has to keep you grounded,” she said through a laugh.

Pagan smiled. “Yes. If only you were here to keep me sane after Lakshmana’s passing. I got myself in a lot of trouble after you left.”

Ishwari frowned and let out a deep sigh. “Oh, Pagan. I know, I should have been there. I’m sorry. I just did what I felt was best for Ajay at that time. And I still think it was what was best for him. But I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking about what was best for you, too.”

“What would have been best for him was to have a father,” Pagan said with a hint of anger in his tone. He then sighed. He didn’t want to spoil the moment. “I would have followed you, Ishwari. To the ends of the Earth. I wish you would have told me. I would have left this mountain in a heartbeat.”

“I didn’t want you to have to choose, Pagan. You’d worked so hard to get where you are. I didn’t want to give you some ultimatum and make you choose between being a King or being mine.” 

Pagan said nothing and let out a heavy sigh. “How many children do you think we would have had? I’d like to think at least 4 but I would have been totally open to having more than that.”

Ishwari smiled and pulled the phone closer to her, as if she were able to get closer to him. “4 or more sounds great, love.”

“Can you imagine-” Pagan began to laugh hysterically. “Me at a PTA meeting?!” The laughter continued. “Oh, God, the other parents would probably be so horrified!”

Ishwari chuckled, “I’m sure they’ve seen worse, dear. You’re awfully handsome, I think.”

Pagan wiped the tears from his eyes, his face red and hot from laughing. “I suppose. You know, I wouldn’t mind that life. The suburban home, white picket fence, 4 kids, a dog, soccer practice and piano recitals. I don’t see how it could ever get boring. Although, I couldn’t see how this could ever get boring, either, but alas.”

“Anything with you is never boring, Pagan.”

“I am quite spontaneous, aren’t I?” 

“That… is an understatement,” Ishwari laughed. A brief pause was on both lines before Ishwari broke the silence. “I love you.”

Pagan’s heart began to race. Hearing those words from her made him so happy. He never thought he’d ever hear her voice again, let alone those words from her mouth. He began to beam. “I love you, too, dear. I should get to bed. It’s late here and I have a plane to catch in the morning. Goodnight, beautiful.”

Ishwari smiled and felt a tear roll down her cheek. “Goodnight, my love.”


	2. Seattle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pagan packs up and heads to Seattle where he meets up with Ishwari for the first time in 20 years.

**P** agan could barely sleep that night. He tossed and turned as he continued to think of things he still needed to do or last minute things to pack. He was nervous; he was about to see the love of his life for the first time in 20 years and he had no clue what to expect or how bad her condition was.

The night before, he contacted his governors to tell them of his plans and that they would be in charge, which was really the norm, considering he was often a recluse. Everyone seemed okay with him leaving with the exception for Yuma. He didn’t plan on telling her who he was going to go see, but she figured it out on her own. She had some choice words for him. After the first three minutes of listening to her yell in Cantonese in his ear, he placed the phone down on his desk until she finished. She never did like Ishwari.

He had an early morning flight and was out of bed by 4 a.m. He grabbed a smoothie while Gary loaded his bags into the helicopter. From his palace, he rode his helicopter to the airport where he had a personal jet waiting for him. Naturally, Pagan brought Gary along, because he hated traveling alone. During the near-24-hour flight, Pagan read (mostly Edgar Allan Poe), watched some films on his iPad, and eventually fell asleep. He was so exhausted from the restless night before, when he finally fell asleep on the jet, he slept for nearly the entire remainder trip.

His body ached when they finally landed in Seattle. He dragged his suitcase along as Gary called for a taxi. After what seemed like a half-hour wait, they were in the taxi and heading for the car rental lot.

After taking more time than he originally planned to choose a rental vehicle, he decided on a BMW X5. He hated the thought of driving around in an SUV and looking like a soccer mom, but the space served its purpose for all of his luggage, and at least it was luxurious. Not to mention the possibility of he and Ishwari needing the extra room if they were to ever sneak away.

After receiving the keys from the burly man at the desk who sported a strong mid-Atlantic accent, they loaded their bags into the back of the SUV and began to take off. It had been a while since Pagan had driven but he had more faith in himself than he did in Gary, who was probably around 80 years old. Pagan wasn’t quite sure how old Gary was and he never asked because, truthfully, he never cared. He just knew that Gary was old even when he was a young man. Now, at middle age, he could only imagine how old Gary was. _He still gets around quite well_ , _though,_ Pagan thought to himself.

As they rolled out of the rental lot, Pagan had Gary pull up the hotel’s address on his phone. It was only a few miles from the rental lot but the drive took much longer. Pagan was quite proud of himself as he only threatened to murder three drivers and one pedestrian. _Progress_ , he thought.

Pagan dropped his and Gary’s luggage off and checked into the hotel. It was a Hilton right in the middle of downtown. The room was a suite, more than spacious enough for Pagan and Gary both. Pagan guessed if all went well, he wouldn’t even need the suite and he could stay with Ishwari. After they settled into their room, Pagan left Gary there as he went back to the rental car to find Ishwari’s house.

There was a significant lack of parking space throughout the neighborhood. Pagan drove around multiple times in hopes someone would leave, eventually giving up and parking down the block. Pagan climbed out of the car, taking a deep breath as he shut the door behind him. He could just barely see the space needle beyond the horizon; hazy clouds lingered above him. He pulled off his Bvlgari sunglasses and placed them inside his coat pocket. As he did, he felt a sharp edge of something very familiar: An aged photograph bearing the faces of a young Ishwari and their newborn daughter Lakshmana. He pulled it out and looked at it briefly as he did so often. A sad smile grew on his face as he reminisced. Ishwari had just gotten Lakshmana to sleep and was annoyed that Pagan insisted on the photographs being taken at that time. Her annoyance was evident by her expression in the photograph. Pagan cherished it now. He was thankful for such a small piece of paper.

Putting the photograph back into his pocket, he took another deep breath before heading to Ishwari’s home. The walk was 3 minutes from where Pagan parked, but it felt more like 3 hours. His heart pounded more and more with every step.

The home was older. It was a townhouse style and rather small. Good enough for just her and Ajay, he supposed. When he finally reached the steps, he pulled out his phone and looked over the address twice more just to make sure he was at the right place. _Stop stalling, you cunt_. He bit his lip and stared at the doorbell as if it were some complicated mechanism he had never seen before. He rolled his eyes at his stupidity, finally ringing the doorbell. His heart began pounding again. His shirt felt tight around his neck, so he unbuttoned it a few notches. There was no answer at the doorbell _._ He swallowed and rang it again.

“Coming,” he heard a voice say from inside. Footsteps soon followed. His heart rate continued to speed up the closer the footsteps got. _Breathe_ , _you idiot_.

He watched as the door knob turned and start to open. He leaned over to peer into the crack, impatient enough to wait for it to fully open. He met Ishwari’s eyes through the cracked door. She smiled shyly at him.

“Pagan, I- I wasn’t expecting you so soon. I’m not dressed.”

“Ishwari, no need to get dressed up in your own home. May I please come in?”

Ishwari nodded and opened the door for him. Pagan stepped inside as Ishwari closed the door behind him. He turned to face her. She wore a pair of black leggings and a baggy old Coldplay t-shirt. She wore her long, dark hair up in a messy bun. He thought she looked beautiful.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Ishwari.”

She smiled. “I’m happy you came.”

Pagan moved in closer, opening out his arms for a hug. As they embraced, memories of him awaiting her return all those years flooded over him. It seemed so surreal that he was holding her at that moment. He cursed whatever fate that caused them to reunite under such unfortunate circumstances. It felt like a sick joke: Separated for years from each other only to be joined together once more only because she was sick, unsure how much longer she had to live.

They rested their foreheads against one another’s, staring longingly into the other’s eyes. Pagan kissed her gently, quickly. She reciprocated with a deeper, more passionate kiss. She slipped her hands down his waist and rested them onto his buttocks. He smiled against her lips, kissing her more. He picked her up and carried her to the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be the black leather couch in the family room. He placed her down on it and climbed on top of her. He slid his right hand under her t-shirt and bra, cupping her breast. He began to massage it as they continued to kiss. As he massaged her breasts, his fingers felt something that resembled stitches. He stopped and pulled away.

“Am I hurting you? Are those stitches?”

“Oh, it’s fine, just be gentle. It’s the surgical site from the biopsy. It’s nearly healed now.”

He frowned. For a moment, he forgot that she was sick. He then realized that they had a lot to talk about, such as her treatment options. He climbed off her and sat up on the couch.

Ishwari sat up, pulling her shirt back down. “Pagan, it’s fine, really. You didn’t hurt me.”

Pagan smiled. “Yes, but we have a lot to talk about, Ishwari.”

Ishwari nodded. “You’re right.”


End file.
